Inspection toe for anti-embolism stocking

ABSTRACT

This stocking is particularly for use by post-operative patients and permits inspection of the toes of the patient without requiring removal of the stocking from the leg. The toe inspection opening is normally positioned rearwardly from the toes when the stocking is being worn and may extend across the top or underneath the foot. The opening is defined by a plurality of complete courses knit of a body yarn and including spandex yarn knit in plated relationship with the body yarn in spaced apart wales and being floated inside of the wales therebetween to provide a mock rib appearance and reduce the size of the opening. The opening is provided with sufficient stretch to permit the toe end of the stocking to be removed from the toes of the wearer and to permit the toes to pass through the opening for inspection purposes.

United States Patent 1 Bounous et al.

[4 1 Sept. 16, 1975 1 1 INSPECTION TOE FOR ANTI-EMBOLISM STOCKING [73] Assignee: Alba-Waldensian, Incorporated, Valdese, N.C.

221 Filed: 0m. 18, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 516,025

521 U.S.C1. 51 lnt.C1.

................ 66/185; 66/172 E A41B 11/02; D04B 9/46 Primary Examiner-Ronald Feldbaum Attorney, Agent, or F irm-Parrott, Bell, Seltzer, Park & Gibson [5 7 ABSTRACT This stocking is particularly for use by post-operative patients and permits inspection of the toes of the patient without requiring removal of the stocking from the leg. The toe inspection opening is normally positioned rearwardly from the toes when the stocking is being worn and may extend across the top or underneath the foot. The opening is defined by a plurality of complete courses knit of a body yarn and including spandex yarn knit in plated relationship with the body yarn in spaced apart wales and being floated inside of the wales therebetween to provide a mock rib appearance and reduce the size of the opening. The opening is provided with sufficient stretch to permit the toe end of the stocking to be removed from the toes of the wearer and to permit the toes to pass through the opening for inspection purposes.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures INSPECTION TOE FOR ANTI-EMBOLISM STOCKING This invention relates generally to a stocking for use by post-operative patients and more particularly to such stockings which permit exposure of the toes of the patients for inspection and/or treatment purposes, without requiring removal of the stocking from the leg of the wearer.

It is generally known to provide toe inspection open ings in anti-embolism stockings to permit inspection of the toes of the patient without requiring removal of the stocking. The Knohl et a]. US. Pat. No. 3,453,843 discloses two such stockings, one of which is formed with a turned welt type of toe opening made during the knitting of the stocking on a circular hosiery knitting machine and the other type of stocking includes a cut and sew type toe opening which is formed by overlapping adjacent sections of the fabric. While either of these stockings permit easy access in uncovering of the toes for inspection purposes, they are not entirely satisfactory for other reasons. For example, the toe openings described in this patent produce added bulkiness adjacent the opening. Also, the openings provided in these stockings are larger than necessary for removal of the toe end of the stocking from the patient for inspection purposes.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a toe inspection opening for anti-embolism stockings which is not substantially bulkier than the adjacent portions of the stocking and which is of a small size but may be easily stretched to permit the toe end of the stocking to be removed from the toes of the wearer so as to permit easy and quick inspection of the toes.

The stockings of the present invention are usually prescribed for bed patients and ambulatory patients prior to and immediately following surgery and the length of the stocking may be varied, as prescribed by the doctor, for example, below the knee, above the knee, or full length stockings or panty hose. The usual reason for prescribing such stockings is to prevent the occurrence of blood clots in the legs during periods of inactivity, and in such cases it is important to periodically determine if proper circulation of blood is taking place, as by inspecting the toes and toenails of the patient. The present stockings may also be used for treatment purposes, such as for convenience of treating athletes foot, corns, hangnails and the like.

In accordance with the present invention, the present stocking includes leg and foot portions knit with stretchable yarn to provide a compressive force against the leg and foot of the wearer. The foot portion includes a toe end which normally covers the ends of the toe of the wearer and a toe inspection Opening is nor mally positioned rearwardly from the toe end when the stocking is being worn and may be positioned above or below the foot. The inspection opening is defined by a plurality of complete courses knit of a body yarn and including spandex yarn knit in plated relationship with the body yarn in spaced apart wales of the plurality of complete courses and being floated inside of the wales between the spaced apart wales to provide a mock rib appearance and reduce the size of the opening. The plurality of complete courses comprises a single fabric thickness which provides sufficient stretch to the opening to permit the toe end to be removed from the toes of the wearer and to permit the toes to pass through the opening for inspection purposes. The toe end of the stocking is preferably provided with the usual narrowed and widened gussets connected by gore lines extending down opposite sides of the toe pocket. The inspection opening is formed on the knitting machine and immediately after completion of the formation of the toe pocket. When the stocking is knit from the top to the toe, as is the usual method, a seam of overedge stitches is applied around and through the terminal courses of the toe opening to prevent raveling.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an anti-embolism stocking and illustrating the toe inspection opening of the present invention associated therewith;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the toe end of the stocking shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a greatly enlarged somewhat schematic view of the stitch formation in the plurality of courses defining the toe opening with the spandex yarn being knit in plated relationship with the body yarn in spaced apart wales and floated across the wales therebetween and illustrating the manner in which the over edge seam is applied through and over the terminal courses around the toe opening;

FIG. 4 is a somewhat schematic sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 in FIG. 2 and illustrating the manner in which the floated spandex yarn gathers the fabric together to form mock ribs therein;

FIG. 5 illustrates the lower foot portion of the stocking as it would appear when being worn by the patient and covering the toes; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but illustrating the toe end of the stocking being removed from the toes of the wearer and permitting the toes to pass through the opening for inspection purposes.

The stocking of the present invention includes integrally knit leg and foot portions 10, 11. The foot portion 11 is usually provided with a reciprocatorily knit heel pocket 12 and a toe pocket 13. The type of stitch structure in the leg and foot 10, 11 may be varied as desired but usually includes some type of stretchable yarn to provide a compressive force to the leg and foot of the wearer. Although a reciprocated heel pocket 12 is illustrated, it is to be understood that the stocking may be provided with a rotary knit heel pocket which is formed in the stocking during the boarding process. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the toe pocket 13 includes a narrowed gusset l4 and a widened gusset 15, each of which extends from one side of the toe pocket to the other and these gussets are connected by gore lines 16 on each side of the toe pocket.

The toe inspection opening, broadly indicated at 20, is defined by a plurality of complete courses, indicated at courses C-26 through C-52 in FIG. 3, which are knit of a stretchable body yarn B and include spandex yarn S knit in plated relationship with the body yarn B in spaced apart wales (wales W-2 and W-7 of FIG. 3) of the plurality of complete courses. The spandex yarn S is floated inside of the wales between the spaced apart wales W-2 and W-7 (wales W-3 through W-6) to provide a mock rib appearance and reduce the size of the opening 20. The mock rib appearance is schematically illustrated in FIG. 4 where the floated spandex yarn draws the spaced apart wales toward each other and forms upstanding ribs in the fabric. The spandex yarn in the inwardly drawn opening also provides sufficient stretch to the opening to permit the toe end 13 to be removed from the toes of the wearer and to permit the toes to pass through the opening for inspection purposes, as illustrated in FIG. 6.

Any suitable type of a seam of overedge stitches may extend around and through the terminal courses of the plurality of complete courses to prevent raveling of the knit fabric. The overedge stitches may be formed in any suitable type of seam, such as that illustrated at 22 in FIG. 3.

The stocking of the present invention is preferably knit on a circular knitting machine of the type normally employed to knit ladies hosiery. The method of forming the type of stocking illustrated in the drawings will be described. The upper end of the stocking is usually provided with a turned welt, as indicated at 25, which is formed in the usual manner. The leg is knit with any desired type of stitch structure and with a suitable stretchable yarn and an elastic or spandex yarn to provide the desired amount of compressive force against the leg of the wearer. The heel pocket 12 illustrated in FIG. 1 is knit in the usual manner with reciprocation of the needle cylinder and the compressive stitch formation in the leg may be eliminated during the knitting of the heel pocket.

Upon completion of the heel pocket 12, the foot 11 is knit with rotary motion of the needle cylinder. The toe pocket 13 is knit in a usual manner by idling a portion of the needles and knitting on the remaining needles with reciprocation of the needle cylinder and while gradually reducing the number of needles knitting successive partial courses to form the narrowed gusset 14. As the endmost needles are successively moved to idle position and reduced in number, the endmost stitch loops are held on the idled needles and these idled stitch loops are again picked up when the widened gusset 15 is knit and as the length of the partial courses knit in this widened gusset is progressively increased to form the gore lines 16 extending down opposite sides of the toe pocket. Upon completion of the knitting of the toe pocket, a few circular courses are knit on all of the needles with rotation of the needle cylinder and then the spandex yarn S is introduced and knit in plated relationship with the body yarn B in spaced apart wales (wales W-2 and W-7 of FIG. 3) and floated across the wales therebetween (wales W-3 through W-6) to provide the mock rib appearance, illustrated in FIG. 4. The yarns are then removed from the active yarn feeding position and the stocking is shed from the needles of the knitting machine with the toe opening 20 being formed on the knitting machine, except for the seam of overedge stitches 22. After the knitting is completed, the seam of overedge stitches 22 is then formed around and through the terminal courses of the plurality of complete courses to prevent raveling of the fabric.

The toe inspection opening is defined by a single thickness of fabric and is reduced in size by the use of the spandex yarn which is knitted and floated with the body yarn so that the fabric is drawn in to form the mock rib appearance. This construction also provides sufficient stretch in the opening to permit the toe end of the stocking to be removed from the toes of the wearer so that the toes may pass through the opening for inspection purposes. It is to be understood that the toe opening could be provided on the upper side of the foot by simply deactivating the needles in the portion of the needle cylinder which knit the upper portion of the foot. The toe pocket 13 would then be knit in the opposite direction from that described above. That is, the gusset 15 would be first knit as a narrow gusset and the gusset 14 would then be knit as a widened gusset. Then, all of the needles would be activated to knit the toe opening adjacent the toe pocket 13 and on the upper side of the foot.

It is preferred that the plurality of complete courses defining the toe opening comprises approximately 24 courses since it has been found that a toe opening of this type will lie flat when the stocking is placed on the foot. It is also preferred that the spandex yarn be knit in plated relationship with the body yarn in spaced apart wales so that it is floated across four wales there between since this arrangement has been found to provide sufficient reduction in the toe opening when the stocking is relaxed and to provide sufficient stretch to the opening that it may be easily removed from the end of the toe of the patient for inspection purposes. However, it is to be understood that the plurality of complete courses defining the toe opening could include more or less than the preferred 24 courses and that the wales in which the spandex yam'is knit in plated rela tionship with the body yarn could be spaced closer or further apart than illustrated in FIG. 3.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

That which is claimed is:

1. An anti-embolism stocking including leg and foot portions knit with stretchable yarn to provide a compressive force to the leg and foot of the wearer, said foot portion including a toe end normally covering the ends of the toes of the wearer, and a toe inspection opening normally positioned rearwardly from said toe end when said stocking is being worn, said opening being defined by a plurality of complete courses defining a single fabric thickness, said plurality of complete courses being knit of a body yarn and including spandex yarn knit in plated relationship with said body yarn in spaced apart wales of said plurality of complete courses and being floated inside of the wales between said spaced apart wales to provide a mock rib appearance and reduce the size of said opening, said plurality of complete courses providing sufficient stretch to said opening to permit said toe end to be removed from the toes of the wearer and to permit the toes to pass through said opening for inspection purposes.

2. A stocking according to claim 1 wherein said opening is normally positioned beneath the toes of the wearer.

3. A stocking according to claim 1 wherein said toe end comprises narrowed and widened gussets connected by gore lines to provide a toe pocket.

4. A stocking according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of complete courses including said spandex yarn comprises approximately 24 courses.

5. A stocking according to claim 1 wherein said spandex yarn is floated inside of four adjacent wales and knit in plated relationship with said body yarn in adjacent wales at opposite sides of said four wales.

6. A stocking according to claim 1 including a seam of overedge stitches extending around and through the terminal courses of said plurality of complete courses to prevent raveling.

7. A method of forming an anti-embolism stocking for use by post-operative patients and including the steps of knitting a leg portion with stretchable yarn to provide a compressive force against the leg of the wearer, knitting a foot portion integral with said leg portion and of stretchable yarn to provide a compressive force against the foot of the wearer, knitting a narrowed gusset of partial courses and a widened gusset of partial courses to form a toe pocket for normally covering the toes of the wearer, knitting a toe inspection 

1. An anti-embolism stocking including leg and foot portions knit with stretchable yarn to provide a compressive force to the leg and foot of the wearer, said foot portion including a toe end normally covering the ends of the toes of the wearer, and a toe inspection opening normally positioned rearwardly from said toe end when said stocking is being worn, said opening being defined by a plurality of complete courses defining a single fabric thickness, said plurality of complete courses being knit of a body yarn and including spandex yarn knit in plated relationship with said body yarn in spaced apart wales of said plurality of complete courses and being floated inside of the wales between said spaced apart wales to provide a mock rib appearance and reduce the size of said opening, said plurality of complete courses providing sufficient stretch to said opening to permit said toe end to be removed from the toes of the wearer and to permit the toes to pass through said opening for inspection purposes.
 2. A stocking according to claim 1 wherein said opening is normally positioned beneath the toes of the wearer.
 3. A stocking according to claim 1 wherein said toe end comprises narrowed and widened gussets connected by gore lines to provide a toe pocket.
 4. A stocking according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of complete courses including said spandex yarn comprises approximately 24 courses.
 5. A stocking according to claim 1 wherein said spandex yarn is floated inside of four adjacent wales and knit in plated relationship with said body yarn in adjacent wales at opposite sides of said four wales.
 6. A stocking according to claim 1 including a seam of overedge stitches extending around and through the terminal courses of said plurality of complete courses to prevent raveling.
 7. A method of forming an anti-embolism stocking for use by post-operative patients and including the steps of knitting a leg portion with stretchable yarn to provide a compressive force against the leg of the wearer, knitting a foot portion integral with said leg portion and of stretchable yarn to provide a compressive force against the foot of the wearer, knitting a narrowed gusset of partial courses and a widened gusset of partial courses to form a toe pocket for normally coveriNg the toes of the wearer, knitting a toe inspection opening by forming a plurality of complete courses knit of body yarn and including spandex yarn knit in plated relationship with said body yarn in spaced apart wales of said plurality of complete courses, said spandex yarn being floated inside of the wales between said spaced apart wales to provide a mock rib appearance and reduce the size of the toe inspection opening, and forming a seam of overedge stitches around the terminal courses of said plurality of complete courses to prevent raveling. 